wells



-LEMU-EL T.`4 WELLS, OF SIT. LO.UIS,`MISSO'RI.

Letters .Patent No. 79,617, dated July 7, 18.68.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING-PRESSES.

@itz .tlgshnle referral t: in 'time Enters Eaten mt makug'gnt ai the same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY COITCIIBN;A

Be it known that I, LEMUEL T. WELLS, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the followingy is a full and clear description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to an improvement in the press invented by myself, and secured by patent, No. 12,568, `dated March 20, A. D. 1855` That patent secures to me a certain arrangement of a`vibrating platen; but the arrangement of the parts, as therein represented, and the necessary weight of the movable platen, pre-l clude the possibility of constructing presses of this description beyond a certain very limited size, owing to the inability of the operator lto raise Ythe weight of the platen should it be increased in weight beyond that limited size. In order to overcome this difficulty, and. render this press applicable to` the purpose of printing large papers, the present invention is devised. In this press, the stationary and movable platens are constructed and arranged in the same manner that they were in the former press. The invention consists in adding a set of balancing-springs to the movable platen, in order to counterbalance its increased weight, and so render the machine thoroughly adapted to large as well as small presses. y i

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my improved press, I will proceed to describe its con# struction and operation.

Figurel, of the drawings, is a side elevation of the improved press, the full lines showing the movable platen and its operating-devices in theopen position, and the dotted lines in the closed position. A

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the maehine.

Y The platens A A', the connecting-rods B, and the crank-wheels C are the same in this that they were in the former press. The improvement consists in adding the balancing-springs D to the lower front side of the movable platen A. There may be one or more of the said springs D, the entire strength of which should be just suicient to counterbalance the weight of the platen A when it is thrown forward, and thereby ease the working on the rods B, and the consequent labor of operating the press. The power usually employed on this kind of presses being manual, economy in its expenditure is an item of very great importance. As the motion on the spring D isl a compound one, composed of a vertical compression, imparted by the dcscendingplaten, and a pendulous motion, given by the forward and backward strokes of the platen, it is necessary to give the abutments of the springs such a construction as will enable the aforesaid springs to make the required compound motion. In order to do this, I place the bottom ends ofthe springs on the rocking-bar d, which enables the 'top ends of them to receive the necessary pendulous motion. The springs D may be made of India rubber or elliptical steel plates; but I prefer coiled or spiral-wire springs, :is-being best adapted to the purpose.

Having described my invention, what I'claim is The springs D, when arranged upon a rocking-bar, d, and combined with the platen A', as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.-

LEMUEL T. WELLS. Witnesses:

INI. RANDoLPH, Gno. W. HERBERT.

In n I 

